But will his staff's connections to the Obama administration hurt his prospects?

In the city of Boston, demonstrations of power are nothing new. We've been throwing our weight around since the days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Today, as ever, some people in town just know how to get things done whether through intelligence, charm, enormous, piles of cash, back room deals, or just sheer force of will. After talking to scores of insiders across the area, we ranked the city's heavy hitters and examine power in all its forms—from political muscle and business influence to cultural capital and social networking.